India’s Dream of Becoming a Developed Nation Remains a Mere Slogan in Light of Human Development Index Findings
- India ranks 130th among 193 countries in the world
- Within India, Gujarat ranks 25th — behind Lakshadweep, Sikkim, and Mizoram
- Kerala tops the list (HDI 0.760), Delhi ranks fifth (HDI 0.734), while Gujarat stands 25th (HDI 0.646)
Today at a press conference held at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Dr. Jay Narayan Vyas, former Cabinet Minister and senior Congress leader, stated that the much-publicized “Gujarat Model” and claims of Gujarat being a highly developed state are hollow. He said that the earlier documentary evidence exposing the reality of Gujarat’s development was based on the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) conducted by the Government of India — data that even the BJP governments at the state and center cannot deny.
Dr. Vyas emphasized that the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on the Human Development Index (HDI) exposes how fragile the so-called “development model” of Gujarat truly is. The BJP-led central government’s tall claims of India emerging as the world’s second-largest developed economy have been proven false by this UNDP report, which presents facts that contradict these assertions.
UNDP Human Development Index (2022) – Rankings of Indian States and Union Territories
| Rank | State/UT | HDI |
| 1 | Goa | 0.760 |
| 2 | Kerala | 0.758 |
| 3 | Chandigarh | 0.751 |
| 4 | Puducherry | 0.741 |
| 5 | Delhi | 0.734 |
| 6 | Jammu & Kashmir | 0.720 |
| 7 | Lakshadweep | 0.719 |
| 8 | Himachal Pradesh | 0.715 |
| 9 | Sikkim | 0.712 |
| 10 | Mizoram | 0.709 |
| … | … | … |
| 25 | Gujarat | 0.646 |
| 36 | Bihar | 0.577 |
(Source: UNDP Human Development Report)
The HDI is calculated based on three key parameters:
- Life expectancy at birth (health)
- Education level (knowledge)
- Per capita income (standard of living)
A higher index value, closer to 1, reflects greater human development.
By the end of 2023, India’s HDI stood at 0.685, placing it 130th among 193 countries, far behind developed nations.
Top 10 Countries by Human Development Index
| Rank | Country | HDI |
| 1 | Iceland | 0.972 |
| 2 | Norway | 0.970 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 0.970 |
| 4 | Denmark | 0.962 |
| 5 | Germany | 0.959 |
| 6 | Sweden | 0.969 |
| 7 | Australia | 0.958 |
| 8 | Hong Kong (China SAR) | 0.955 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 0.955 |
| 10 | United States | 0.938 |
| — | India | 0.685 |
(Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025)
The data clearly shows that the central government’s repeated claims about India’s rapid progress toward becoming a “developed nation” are misleading and factually incorrect. The UNDP Human Development Index offers an authentic and comprehensive measure of how prosperous and developed human lives are in each country — and India’s position remains far from the top.
Similarly, Gujarat’s ranking below smaller regions like Lakshadweep and Meghalaya highlights the state’s decline in core human development parameters. Earlier, it was revealed that four of India’s ten most malnourished districts are in Gujarat. Now, its 25th position in HDI further proves that the so-called “Gujarat Model” is weak and unsustainable.
Both the Gujarat and central BJP governments, Dr. Vyas said, focus more on event management and publicity than on real development, causing Gujarat — once considered a progressive state — to fall behind. The tall claims of India moving toward a “developed economy” are, therefore, nothing but empty rhetoric.
The press conference was also attended by Dr. Manish Doshi, Media Convener and Spokesperson of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, and Mr. Hemang Rawal, Media Coordinator and Spokesperson of the Committee.
